Don

I can't really think of a rock song without a guitar in it, but the same can't be said about vocals/bass/drums/keyboards.

So it's gotta be the guitar, and no one's voted for it yet, weird.

Well, that's the way I saw the question anyway.

boo boo

ELP qualify as rock, and many of their songs have no guitar...Béla Fleck & The Fleckstones are also a guitarless band with a very rockin' feel.

Radioheads National Anthem is also a pretty rockin' song and it has no guitar, at least that i know of.

And then of course there was Jerry Lew Lewis who could write a great rock n roll song for just piano, bass and drums.

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Don

Wow, I forgot about "The National Anthem," great example and there's other Radiohead examples also. But yeah it's hard to think of them like I said, which I guess sorta makes the guitar the most important? This question is more about your definition of importance I feel.

boo boo

Well, no one ever said that all music needs a guitar, its just the trendy instrument these days.

Its still replacable, you could choose any other kind of lead or rhythm instrument to take its place, it just produces a different sound.

Theres a lot of different and creative things that folks today could do musically, but they choose not to, and they follow the quarter centurys old guitar/bass/drums trend instead.

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skiesofganymede

It's said that the litmus test for any song is whether it can be stripped back to vocals and say an acoustic guitar and still be good. I think in composing a song (for rock/alternative/folk/even pop), definately guitar and vocals (or keys/piano and vocals) equally...because it's the interraction between them that creates a song...

Drums especially in heavier genres, drive the song. Gosh, the guitars and bass can almost become percussion instruments themselves in alot of metal/hardcore bands (with the exception of solos). Who knows what note you're playing when you're that heavily de-tuned. So I guess drums is most important in those cases.

And poor bass, always forgotten. But as a former bassist (former, because the bass is heavy and I'm scrawny and weak), I have an appreciation for this instrument. Only other bassists can really pick out the notes, but it can sway the whole tone of a song, can really pull the vocals and guitar in different directions, can go with the guitars and give it weight, or maybe clash, or take an unexpected harmony a make people a little uncomfortable...and they're not quite sure why.

Plus, what other instrument will token chicks play in male dominated genres? (okay that was a joke...but it's kind of true).

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Raine

The creator of this thread is smoking.

In any band every member is key to making the music. You can't just choose anyone instrumentalist because the band could work around them if necessary.
Think of Mars Volta. half of their songs are pure instrumental. In which case the vocalist becomes unimportant.
Then think of groups like the Foo Fighters, where you have a drummer, a bassist and a guitarist. The band works as an entire unit where no one instrument is mor important than the other. Get rid of the drums and the songs sound a little hollow. take a way the guitar and you've got a song that's missing a rythm. Take a way the bass and the song sounds. . well it just wouldn't sound the same

Peace

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thebassistX

yes i know hehehe

o yea without the bass the song would not be as "full"

cwynne654

There is really no one most important instrument in a band. What makes a band a band is more than one person so it is needless to ask what the most important instrument is. You could vote something like drums but if you took all the rest of the instruments away than it wouldn't be called a band so its a stupid pole if you ask me and you shouldn't vote on this topic.

sarxist

As important as the guitar and bass are in a rock band you can't really be considered hard rock and roll without a drummer. However, there are plenty of good musicians and guitarists out there who only need themselves, Bob Dylan in his early days is a prime example.

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